SOAP-Philippians #7

"Pressing on toward the goal"

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Philippians 3:13-14
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

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 Paul has just finished telling all the reasons he had to brag about his "righteousness" under the law. He realizes, though, that none of that matters because our true righteousness is only found through Jesus. So, Paul says he is not going to dwell on things from the past. Instead, he is going to look ahead. He's going to keep doing the work God gives him to do without looking back.

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The past has a way of getting in the way of our future. So often, we carry past hurts, failures, and regrets around with us and they keep us from moving on into the future God has for us. Or, on the other side, we want to live in the limelight of a past success or victory and not move ahead to the next thing God has for us for fear of failure. Both of these will keep us from reaching our full potential in Christ. We need to let go of our past, the good and the bad, and move on toward the things God has planned for our future.

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Dear Jesus, Thank you, Lord, that I don't have to carry my past around with me. I can let go of it and move on to the future that you have planned for me. All of my failures and hurts, you have freed me from through your death on the cross. All my successes that I want to stay in, I can leave behind with confidence knowing that you have a plan to give me hope and a future. Help me, Lord, to set my sights on what's ahead and leave the past in the past. I want to do as Paul said and press on toward the goal that you have for me. In your name I pray, Amen